'It Didn't Have To Happen': Ted Cruz Pledges To Do All He Can To Probe Deadly Plane-Helicopter Crash

2 days ago

At today's Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) spoke about the deadly crash between a helicopter and airplane at DCA.

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Transcript

00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the ranking member as well.

00:03I want to thank each of the witnesses for being here today and I want to extend a particular

00:07welcome to the family members of the 67 crash victims who are here today for this hearing.

00:16I've met with many of you since the crash and each of you have my very

00:22deepest condolences for your unimaginable loss.

00:25The crash involving American Airlines flight 5342 and the Army Black Hawk helicopter

00:35was preventable. It didn't have to happen.

00:39And I want you to know that I am committed to using the power of this committee

00:45to determine if any policy failures led to this crash and making certain that Congress

00:52acts to correct them. This accident marks the first time a commercial crash in the

00:59United States has led to mass fatalities in over 15 years. While America's national

01:05airspace system has kept Americans safe for decades, this critical juncture shows that

01:11more action must take place to enhance the safety of our system.

01:17The hearing today will examine the factors leading up to the midair collision

01:21300 feet above the Potomac River. Whether the Army's practice of disabling ADS-B out

01:29is a glaring safety concern. Whether the FAA missed warning signs with thousands of

01:37instances where helicopters and commercial aircraft at DCA came too close to colliding.

01:44Whether the communications between the air traffic controller and both of the pilots

01:49of the American Airlines flight and the Black Hawk helicopter was inadequate.

01:57The families of the American Airlines flight 5342 victims deserve answers.

02:05Congress deserves answers. And the American flying public deserves answers to these

02:10important questions. The NTSB does terrific work. I'm grateful to Chairman Jennifer

02:18Homendy and her team for their thorough investigation of this accident. The preliminary

02:22report being discussed today is factual, does not include analysis, nor does it include findings.

02:30It is just one step in what will be a lengthy and ongoing investigation.

02:36This committee will closely follow how that investigation proceeds

02:40and look forward to the NTSB's full findings. Some actions, however, cannot wait.

02:48Aviation safety is dependent on what is called the Swiss cheese model.

02:52Each layer of cheese represents a defense against an identified risk,

02:58building redundancy into the system to plug holes and prevent accidents.

03:03After decades of advancements, the U.S. aviation system has been held up worldwide

03:09as the gold standard of safety. The FAA's air traffic organization depends

03:14on thousands of talented air traffic controllers, hundreds of millions of dollars in annual

03:20investments to sustain technologies used to operate the air system, and billions more

03:26invested in technologies and facilities across the system. Even with these significant investments,

03:34the air traffic system is failing. Facilities which are falling apart are short-staffed,

03:42and projections show that the shortages will last for years. Over the weekend,

03:49the NOTAM system broke down for a third time in just two years.

03:58Congress has provided tens of millions of dollars in the past two years to modernize

04:03the NOTAM system, and it has broken down already twice this calendar year.

04:12President Trump and Secretary Duffy have pledged to take action to improve the air traffic

04:19control system. I plan to lead this committee in passing legislation to do the same.

04:25We must provide resources for the needed short, medium, and long-term improvements

04:31that chart the path to success and sustainment for the air traffic system.

04:37Earlier this week, I issued a call to aviation stakeholders for specific ideas to improve the

04:43air traffic system. I asked for concrete proposals, taking nothing off the table prematurely to make

04:51sure that whatever resources and authorities Congress provides to the administration will

04:56make a lasting difference. My proposal will complement the Trump administration's forthcoming

05:04plan. What the tragedy of Flight 5342 shows us is that it is never too early to act to improve

05:14aviation safety. I want to thank the families of the victims for taking your enormous grief

05:23and channeling it into energy, channeling it into advocacy, channeling it into standing up

05:29and speaking out for other families flying on other flights, fighting for them so they don't

05:38have to endure the grief and loss that each of you is enduring. It is my hope that we can spend

05:44the coming months in the wake of this tragedy working seriously to plug safety gaps and to

05:51ensure that an accident of this magnitude never happens again. Thank you.

05:56Chairman Cruz, thank you for your opening remarks.

'It Didn't Have To Happen': Ted Cruz Pledges To Do All He Can To Probe Deadly Plane-Helicopter Crash

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